Lay Day

After getting back to Chamonix from Gran Paradiso there was uncertainty from the guides about our weather window for Mont Blanc. The weather currently on the mountains was pretty bad which meant we were stuck in the valley for the time being, so rather than sit around resting, stuffing ourselves at the many restaurants around town or my wife spending all her husband’s hard earned money on new outdoor gear, the guides organised a day out to the newly built via ferrata just outside Passy where the weather still wasn’t too bad.

If you’ve never heard of via ferrata, I believe the direct translation from Italian to English is “the iron path”. In particular, it refers to a large series of iron ladders and cables installed around the Dolomites during the First World War to give Italian troops access through the high mountains whilst fighting with the Austrians to the North. Nowadays, these traditional pathways are enjoyed by hikers looking for an extra thrill, as by simply having a harness with two lanyards it is possible to easily access terrain which would otherwise only be the realm of proficient rock climbers.

Traditionally the area we were in didn’t have any original via ferrata routes, however with the growing popularity of via ferrata over the last decade or so the French government have taken the initiative to build new via ferratas as leisure facilities for the general public to enjoy. We did a few via ferrata routes in the Dolomites on our honeymoon and they were mostly hikes with a few cable and ladder sections. However as John our guide told us “the French have a penchant for the theatrical” and that can be seen in their newly constructed via ferrata routes.

We got to the foot of the via ferrata and it was basically one long “climb” of ladders and traversing cable bridges and rocky ledges. The guides were again very proficient in ensuring all of the group were comfortable as I think Mai and I were the only ones who had any previous via ferrata experience.

This was definitely one of my favourite days of the trip, was loads of fun and a really great way to feel really exposed with some big drops under your feet, but at the same time feeling really safe as you know you’re harnessed into some pretty sturdy steel and all the hand and foot holds were very good.

We actually ended up getting about two thirds of the way along the route before we hit a traffic jam. Apparently it’s not uncommon for people to freeze whilst high up and so exposed, we couldn’t see what was happening ahead but assumed this was the case, so after about 15mins of being stood still watching the thunder and lightning rapidly heading our way we decided to turn around and head back the way we came (if you weren’t already scared of the drop offs under your feet, try being tied of to a steel structure high up on a cliff face while your mountain guides tell you stories of people they know being struck by lightning whilst out in the mountains).

All in all a really fun day out of very basic climbing on quite an exposed route while being very safe. Definitely a welcome break from the suffering of endless walking up a mountain! We even had a paraglide swoop past us pretty close at one point.